Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-10-24
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Cleaning Windows.


There are few things that add
so much to the attractiveness of =
house rs clean windows, and the
housekeeper, recognizing this, deems
it one of the important duties of heI
Homework that they shall be u
clean and bright as she can make
them. To keep windows bright and
clean is anything but an easy task,
for they require to be looked after
constantly to keep them at all pre-
sentable. No matter how clean and
tidy the room may be in other re-
spects, if the windows are not clean
all the tidiness goes for nothing.
Many housewives who are any
thing but careless in the rest of til, il
work are neglectful of their windows,
inasmuch as they may often clean
them, but do so in such a careless
manner that they are never really
clean. Every woman has way of
her own for this work, which she
considers far superior to any other,
but very few of them have good
method and may be improved on
easily.
Many women use soap to help
them in washing windows, and then
wonder why the glass looks so
streakv. Soap should never be used
for this work, for if it is, the glass
will never look as clear as that which
has never been cleaned without. To
he sure, they are always Tinsed after
washing in this way, and, even then,
though they may look as well -
those washed in clear water, yet
they do not look any better, and the
use old table linen for washing or
wiping windows. 1t is, certainly,
nice and soft, and would seem to he
just the thing, but the wiping off of
the lint, which old table linen is sure
to leave after it, outweighs all the
merits of softness. Cold water is
usually used, but this required 50
much wiping, and if there is any
grease on the window, which is often
the case where there are children,
so much hard work to remove it, that
warm water is much to be preferred.
Choose for this work a warm day !;
if cloudy all the better, though by
no means ever clean windows on a
damp day. If it is a sunny day do
not wash any glass while the sun is
shining upon it if you would have it
free from streaks. Even if you have
to wait until afternoon for the sun
to leave the front of the house, let
the windows wait until then or a
cloudy day rather than have them
look as though half cleaned. First
dust the windows inside and out,
using a small paint brush for the
crevices and corners Of the sashes.
Wash thoroughly the sashes and
woodwork around the panes, and if
soap is used, see that as little as
possible of 1t touches the glass.
Wash the woodwork on the outside
of the window, as that is usually
very dusty and should be always
cleansed before the glass is touched.
Have Il small flannel or cloth for
wiping. Never use new cotton for
this purpose, for without exception
it is the hardest kind of cloth for
drying windows. Have a basin of
pretty warm water, the hotter the
better, and into it put a few drops
of ammonia. With the small cloth
wash each pane thoroughly, using a
small pointed stick for the corners
(some save a wooden skewer for
this purpose) and if the water is
very hot, wipe Immediately, for
with hot water the panes wipe much
easier and dry very quickly. Clean
hot water without the ammonia NAV
be used, and will do the work very
well, but the ammonia makes the
work easier and imparts to the glass
4 new gloss. Some use a few drops
of kerosene in place of the ammonia
and claim it As excellent. Wash the
inside of the glass first, so that wher
doing the outside any speck OF
streak may easily seen and removed
Windows treated in this way may be
washed in one-half the time in which
they are usually done, and look
much better.-Cultirator